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Theoharides TC. The impact of psychological stress on mast cells. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2020; 125:388-392. [PMID: 32687989 DOI: 10.1016/j.anai.2020.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2020] [Revised: 07/13/2020] [Accepted: 07/13/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Atopic diseases worsen with psychological stress, but how stress contributes to their pathogenesis is still not clear. We review the evidence supporting the premise that stress contributes to allergic and inflammatory processes through stimulation of mast cells (MCs) by neuroimmune stimuli. DATA SOURCES PubMed was searched between 1950 and 2019 using the following terms: allergies, atopic diseases, corticotropin-releasing hormone, inflammation, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, mast cells, mastocytosis, neuropeptides, psychological stress, neurotensin, and substance P. STUDY SELECTIONS Only articles published in English were selected based on their relevance to stress and MCs, especially those that discussed potential mechanisms of action. RESULTS Psychological stress worsens many diseases, especially asthma, atopic dermatitis, and mastocytosis. This effect is mediated through MCs stimulated by neuropeptides, especially corticotropin-releasing hormone, neurotensin, and substance P, a process augmented by interleukin-33. CONCLUSION Understanding how stress stimulates MCs to release proinflammatory mediators is important in advancing treatments for diseases that worsen with stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theoharis C Theoharides
- Molecular Immunopharmacology and Drug Discovery Laboratory, Department of Immunology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, Program in Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Internal Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine and Tufts Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Psychiatry, Tufts University School of Medicine and Tufts Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts.
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Cameron L, Palikhe NS, Laratta C, Vliagoftis H. Elevated Circulating Th2 Cells in Women With Asthma and Psychological Morbidity: A New Asthma Endotype? Clin Ther 2020; 42:1015-1031. [PMID: 32482491 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinthera.2020.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2020] [Revised: 05/01/2020] [Accepted: 05/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Psychological stress shifts the immune system toward the production of T-helper (Th)-2-mediated cytokines and eosinophilia, increases the risks for both asthma and depression, and can precipitate asthma exacerbations. Th2-mediated inflammation is a characteristic of allergic asthma. We have shown that the levels of CD4+ Th2 cells in the peripheral blood of patients with asthma are associated with severity and/or control of the disease. To improve our understanding of the interactions between stress and asthma symptoms, we evaluated the effects of psychological comorbidity on Th2-mediated inflammation in patients with asthma. METHODS Sixty-six asthmatic patients were recruited from the University of Alberta Asthma Clinic after they gave informed consent. Stress-related effects on asthma and psychological morbidity were assessed using the Asthma Control Questionnaire, completed by the patients at recruitment. Venous blood was collected at recruitment and Th2-mediated immunity evaluated by flow cytometry, quantitative real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. FINDINGS Patients with stress-triggered asthma (n = 12) had higher percentage of CD4+ T cells (P = 0.006) and Th2 cells (CD4+CRTh2+ T cells; P = 0.002) in peripheral blood compared to patients with asthma who did not experience stress-related worsening of disease (n = 54). The same was true when we analyzed patients with any form of psychological comorbidity (n = 19) compared to those without psychological comorbidities (n = 47). These differences were evident among women, but not among men. Women with psychological comorbidity also required higher doses of inhaled and oral corticosteroids compared to those without psychological comorbidity. IMPLICATIONS Asthma involving psychological morbidity associates with an elevated level of circulating Th2 cells and increased corticosteroid usage, and may be more prevalent in women. Larger-scale prospective studies are required for assessing whether these women constitute a new endotype of Th2-high asthma responsive to treatments aimed to improve psychological comorbidities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Cameron
- Department of Pathology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Alberta Respiratory Centre, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
| | - Nami Shrestha Palikhe
- Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Alberta Respiratory Centre, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Cheryl Laratta
- Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Alberta Respiratory Centre, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Harissios Vliagoftis
- Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Alberta Respiratory Centre, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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Miyasaka T, Dobashi-Okuyama K, Takahashi T, Takayanagi M, Ohno I. The interplay between neuroendocrine activity and psychological stress-induced exacerbation of allergic asthma. Allergol Int 2018; 67:32-42. [PMID: 28539203 DOI: 10.1016/j.alit.2017.04.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2016] [Revised: 04/04/2017] [Accepted: 04/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Psychological stress is recognized as a key factor in the exacerbation of allergic asthma, whereby brain responses to stress act as immunomodulators for asthma. In particular, stress-induced enhanced type 2 T-helper (Th2)-type lung inflammation is strongly associated with asthma pathogenesis. Psychological stress leads to eosinophilic airway inflammation through activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal pathway and autonomic nervous system. This is followed by the secretion of stress hormones into the blood, including glucocorticoids, epinephrine, and norepinephrine, which enhance Th2 and type 17 T-helper (Th17)-type asthma profiles in humans and rodents. Recent evidence has shown that a defect of the μ-opioid receptor in the brain along with a defect of the peripheral glucocorticoid receptor signaling completely disrupted stress-induced airway inflammation in mice. This suggests that the stress response facilitates events in the central nervous and endocrine systems, thus exacerbating asthma. In this review, we outline the recent findings on the interplay between stress and neuroendocrine activities followed by stress-induced enhanced Th2 and Th17 immune responses and attenuated regulatory T (Treg) cell responses that are closely linked with asthma exacerbation. We will place a special focus on our own data that has emphasized the continuity from central sensing of psychological stress to enhanced eosinophilic airway inflammation. The mechanism that modulates psychological stress-induced exacerbation of allergic asthma through neuroendocrine activities is thought to involve a series of consecutive pathological events from the brain to the lung, which implies there to be a "neuropsychiatry phenotype" in asthma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomomitsu Miyasaka
- Division of Pathophysiology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Kaori Dobashi-Okuyama
- Division of Pathophysiology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Tomoko Takahashi
- Division of Pathophysiology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Motoaki Takayanagi
- Division of Pathophysiology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Isao Ohno
- Center for Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Sendai, Japan.
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Alcock I, White M, Cherrie M, Wheeler B, Taylor J, McInnes R, Otte Im Kampe E, Vardoulakis S, Sarran C, Soyiri I, Fleming L. Land cover and air pollution are associated with asthma hospitalisations: A cross-sectional study. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2017; 109:29-41. [PMID: 28926750 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2017.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2017] [Revised: 08/16/2017] [Accepted: 08/16/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is increasing policy interest in the potential for vegetation in urban areas to mitigate harmful effects of air pollution on respiratory health. We aimed to quantify relationships between tree and green space density and asthma-related hospitalisations, and explore how these varied with exposure to background air pollution concentrations. METHODS Population standardised asthma hospitalisation rates (1997-2012) for 26,455 urban residential areas of England were merged with area-level data on vegetation and background air pollutant concentrations. We fitted negative binomial regression models using maximum likelihood estimation to obtain estimates of asthma-vegetation relationships at different levels of pollutant exposure. RESULTS Green space and gardens were associated with reductions in asthma hospitalisation when pollutant exposures were lower but had no significant association when pollutant exposures were higher. In contrast, tree density was associated with reduced asthma hospitalisation when pollutant exposures were higher but had no significant association when pollutant exposures were lower. CONCLUSIONS We found differential effects of natural environments at high and low background pollutant concentrations. These findings can provide evidence for urban planning decisions which aim to leverage health co-benefits from environmental improvements.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Mark Cherrie
- University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom; University of Exeter, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Rachel McInnes
- MetOffice, United Kingdom; University of Exeter, United Kingdom
| | | | - Sotiris Vardoulakis
- Institute of Occupational Medicine, United Kingdom; Public Health England, United Kingdom; University of Exeter, United Kingdom
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Neuropsychiatry phenotype in asthma: Psychological stress-induced alterations of the neuroendocrine-immune system in allergic airway inflammation. Allergol Int 2017; 66S:S2-S8. [PMID: 28669635 DOI: 10.1016/j.alit.2017.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2017] [Revised: 05/11/2017] [Accepted: 05/14/2017] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Since the recognition of asthma as a syndrome with complex pathophysiological signs and symptoms, recent research has sought to classify asthma phenotypes based on its clinical and molecular pathological features. Psychological stress was first recognized as a potential immune system modulator of asthma at the end of the 19th century. The activation of the central nervous system (CNS) upon exposure to psychological stress is integral for the initiation of signal transduction processes. The stress hormones, including glucocorticoids, epinephrine, and norepinephrine, which are secreted following CNS activation, are involved in the immunological alterations involved in psychological stress-induced asthma exacerbation. The mechanisms underlying this process may involve a pathological series of events from the brain to the lungs, which is attracting attention as a conceptually advanced phenotype in asthma pathogenesis. This review presents insights into the critical role of psychological stress in the development and exacerbation of allergic asthma, with a special focus on our own data that emphasizes on the continuity from the central sensing of psychological stress to enhanced eosinophilic airway inflammation.
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Liccardi G, Salzillo A, Calzetta L, Cazzola M, Matera MG, Rogliani P. Can bronchial asthma with an highly prevalent airway (and systemic) vagal tone be considered an independent asthma phenotype? Possible role of anticholinergics. Respir Med 2016; 117:150-3. [PMID: 27492525 DOI: 10.1016/j.rmed.2016.05.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2015] [Revised: 03/20/2016] [Accepted: 05/30/2016] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Recently, we studied occurrence and role of non-respiratory symptoms (n-RSs) before a worsening of asthma symptoms. Some n-RSs such as anxiety, reflux, heartburn, abdominal pain, which appeared within 3 h before the onset of an asthma attack, are the likely result of an imbalance between sympathetic/parasympathetic systems with an increase in cholinergic tone. Therefore, it is likely that some of these n-RSs induced by the increased cholinergic tone might be present related with specific parasympathetic-associated respiratory symptoms such as those elicited by airway narrowing. It is likely that, at least in some categories of asthmatics, an increased cholinergic tone, rather than other well-known factors, might play a prevalent role in triggering bronchospasm. If this is the case, it is possible to speculate that the use of anticholinergic agents (mainly those with long-acting activity) in patients suffering from asthma should be more beneficial in individuals characterized by a higher degree of cholinergic tone that, consequently might be the ideal target for the use of long-acting anticholinergics and, possibly, represent a novel asthma phenotype. The presence of parasympathetic-associated n-RSs might help the physician to identify this type of patients, although this might be followed by a more detailed assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gennaro Liccardi
- Department of Pulmonology, Haematology and Oncology, Division of Pneumology and Allergology, High Speciality "A.Cardarelli" Hospital, Naples, Italy; Postgraduate School of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy.
| | - Antonello Salzillo
- Department of Pulmonology, Haematology and Oncology, Division of Pneumology and Allergology, High Speciality "A.Cardarelli" Hospital, Naples, Italy
| | - Luigino Calzetta
- Postgraduate School of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy; Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Mario Cazzola
- Postgraduate School of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy; Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Paola Rogliani
- Postgraduate School of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy; Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
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Ciprandi G, Schiavetti I, Rindone E, Ricciardolo FLM. The impact of anxiety and depression on outpatients with asthma. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2015; 115:408-14. [PMID: 26392047 DOI: 10.1016/j.anai.2015.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2015] [Revised: 08/03/2015] [Accepted: 08/12/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anxiety and depression may frequently affect patients with asthma. However, the findings of several studies are partially conflicting and conducted in selected cohorts. OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of anxiety and depression in a group of outpatients with asthma. METHODS This cross-sectional, real-life study included 263 patients (109 males; mean age, 39.2 years) with asthma. Clinical examination, lung function, fractional exhaled nitric oxide measurement, Asthma Control Test (ACT) score, asthma control grade, perception of symptoms by visual analog scale, and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) questionnaires were evaluated. RESULTS Globally, 97 patients (36.9%) had anxiety, and 29 (11%) had depression. Of these patients, 71 had combined anxiety and depression. Anxiety and depression were associated with poor asthma control (P =.007 and .02, respectively). Patients with depression had higher body mass indexes (P =.002). Anxiety and depression were associated with lower ACT scores (P < .001 for both). The scores on the anxiety and depression subscales of HADS were moderately related (r = 0.57). CONCLUSIONS The present real-life study indicates that anxiety and depression are common and relevant comorbidities in asthmatic outpatients and are associated with uncontrolled asthma and lower ACT scores. Thus, assessment of comorbid mental disorders should be performed in common practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgio Ciprandi
- Department of Medicine, IRCCS - Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria San Martino, Genoa, Italy.
| | | | - Elena Rindone
- Division of Respiratory Disease, Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Fabio L M Ricciardolo
- Division of Respiratory Disease, Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
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Abstract
Treatment of asthma lends itself to an integrative medicine approach due to the multifactorial nature of the disease. It is well established that asthma has a neuromuscular component (bronchospasm), an immunological component (inflammation), and a psychological component. This encourages the use of diverse approaches to address all avenues of pathophysiology, aiming for the most effective blend of treatment approaches possible. Integrative medicine is defined by NIH NCCAM ( http://nccam.nih.gov ) as medicine that blends the use of evidence-based complementary therapies with conventional medicine. Statistics from the 2007 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), showed that approximately four out of 10 adults and approximately one in nine children and more than 50 % of children living with chronic illness, including asthma, used complementary therapies in the USA in 2007. Asthma and allergies rank among the top 15 most common medical conditions in which integrative therapies are used in both children and adults. To date, integrative treatment approaches with some evidence for benefit in asthma treatment include the following: nutrition modification, mind-body medicine, physical activity, and certain dietary supplement interventions.
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